Bengaluru, March 3 (NationPress) Voicing concerns regarding Andhra Pradesh's objections to the proposed elevation of the Alamatti dam to 524 meters, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar appealed to the Central government for intervention on Tuesday.

Shivakumar, who is also responsible for the Irrigation portfolio, stated that Andhra Pradesh has sent a letter to the Centre requesting a halt to land acquisition for the initiative.

“I urge the Centre to step in and allow the project to advance according to the Tribunal’s directives,” he remarked.

“In their correspondence, Andhra Pradesh has requested the Centre to refrain from issuing a Gazette notification regarding the increase of the Alamatti dam from 519 meters to 524 meters, as well as to cease land acquisition efforts for the project. It is inappropriate for Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to interfere in this matter,” he asserted.

He mentioned that during the Cabinet meeting on September 16, 2025, a decision was made to acquire 1.33 lakh acres of land for the project.

“We are planning to allocate Rs 70,000 crore in three phases. I did not expect Andhra Pradesh to take such a drastic step. We have been urging the Centre to issue a Gazette notification for the past 12 years. The Tribunal in 2010 permitted an increase in water usage from 177 TMC to 330 TMC,” he elaborated.

“We have notified the Board that we intend to utilize our share of 30 TMC of water by constructing the Navile Balancing reservoir, but Andhra Pradesh has not been attending the meetings. Both states need to come to a consensus,” he added.

He pointed out that the Parliament session is set to commence on March 10, emphasizing that Karnataka's MPs should pressure the Centre to safeguard the State’s interests, as negligence could adversely impact the state.

“The Union Jal Shakti minister is facing political pressure from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. We will travel to Delhi during the session. Andhra Pradesh has been receiving its water share; I am puzzled by their objections. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is an experienced politician, and I am unsure why he is acting this way,” he stated.

He noted that the Andhra Pradesh officials are also absent from the Tungabhadra meetings, which leads to a loss of 30 TMC of water, and efforts are underway to capture that water through a balancing reservoir.

“We have initiated land acquisition due to rising land costs, yet Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh continue to hinder our progress. We are conducting land acquisition in Karnataka, not in their states. So far, we have invested Rs 20,000 crore into this project. Following the Tribunal's ruling, our state approached the Supreme Court, and the outcome was unfavorable. I am unsure who made that decision, but it is detrimental to us now,” he explained.

When asked if land acquisition was sanctioned, he replied, “The Cabinet has approved it. We are preparing to allocate funds in the budget.”

When it was noted that there had been no objections to land acquisition recently, he responded, “We are making this statement to preempt the Centre from sending us a letter to halt the project. Other states may take legal action based on that letter.”

When it was suggested that former PM H. D. Deve Gowda's advice could be sought on the issue, he remarked, “His health is not in good condition. They can contribute whatever is feasible from their side.”